UNP defectors join CabinetRohitha Bogollagama is new Foreign MinisterRauf Hhakeem is Minister of Posts and Telecommunications

President Mahinda Rajapaksa swore in a record number of 52 cabinet ministers Sunday in a bid to accommodate senior members from the country's main opposition and keep his fragile hold on government.

@ The Hindu / Jan 28, 2007

Colombo, Jan 28. (PTI): Eighteen opposition legislators defected and joined the Sri Lankan Governmnent of President Mahinda Rajapakse today, leading to a major cabinet reshuffle in which the country's Foreign Minister Mangala Samaraweera has been replaced.

Foreign Minister Samaraweera has been replaced by Enterprise Development Minister Rohitha Bogollegama. Samaraweera, however, retains his Ports and Aviation portfolio, officials said today.

Defectors from the right-wing United National Party (UNP) have been rewarded with cabinet portfolios. Sri Lanka's main Muslim leader Rauf Hhakeem, who had been in the Opposition since 2004, joined the cabinet as Minister of Posts and Telecommunications.

In the expanded Cabinet today, 10 out of the 18 opposition defectors have been given berth while the balance 10 defectors are to be given junior ministerial positions.

The latest development has put in danger a landmark deal betweeb two major Sinhalese party aimed at ending decades of separatist violence in the island.

The Government will no longer be a minority party in the 225-member legislature, though still lacking the two thirds majority needed to to make any radical changes to the constitution to secure a peace deal with the Tiger rebels.

Rajapakse's leftist Sri Lanka Freedom Party and the opposition UNP in October agreed to work together to hammer out a political solution to the long-running Tamil separatist conflict.

However, UNP secretary Tissa Attanayake said the deal would be over the moment their members were accommodated on the Government side.

Percy

Post subject: New Ministers

Posted: Sun Jan 28, 2007 3:49 pm

New Ministers

- Anura Bandaranaike lost his Tourism Ministry and took oaths as Minister of National Heritage.- Milinda Morogoda is the new Minister for Tourism.- Karu Jayasuriya, former deputy leader of the UNP and currently leading the dissident group was appointed Minister of Public Administration and Home Affairs. - Ratnasiri Wickremanayake retains as Prime Minister.- G.L.Peiris, Minister of Export Promotion and International trade.- Mangala Samaraweeara retains Port Development and Aviation portfolio. - Rohitha Bogollagama - Foreign Minister- Rauff Hakeem - Minister of Posts and Telecommunication.- P.Dayaratna - Minister of Planning Implementation - Dharmadasa Banda - Minister of Additional Plantation Crops - M.H. Mohamed - Minister of Parliamentary Affaris - Gamini Lokuge - Minister of Sports - Bandula Gunawardana - Minister of Trade, Marketing development and Consumer Affairs - Mahinda Wijesekara - Minister of Special projects - Rajitha Senaratna - Minister of Construction and Engineering Services

hussein

Post subject:

Posted: Tue Jan 30, 2007 6:11 am

Joined: Tue Apr 18, 2006 5:31 pmPosts: 3Location: canada

Day by day Mahinda is proving himself to be more matured and Ranil a baby elephant